Since the introduction of the use of bearings and collars in mechanical equipment, those assigned the task of maintaining bearing and collar containing equipment have been faced with the problem of how to remove bearings and collars from a shaft, without damaging the shaft. A patent to Beard, U.S. Pat. No. 1,984,960, teaches a device which is useful in removing bearings which are arranged in pairs from a shaft, without damaging the bearings or shaft upon which they are mounted. The device operates by wedging between the pair of bearings and forcing them apart. Successively larger wedges are used to effect the removal of the bearings. The shortcoming of the Beard device is that it is does not provide for removing single bearings from a shaft, or for fast removal of a bearing when speed, rather than preservation of the bearing, is of primary concern. A patent to Harsdorff, U.S. Pat. No. 4,647,231, teaches a device which is useful in disassembling a multiple row tapered bearing, but the purpose of the invention is to provide a means to repair a special type of bearing, rather than quickly and easily remove any type of bearing from the shaft it is mounted upon.
A need exists for a device which provides a means to quickly and easily remove bearings and collars from a shaft upon which they are mounted, without causing damage to the shaft.